Rotana is growing in the United Arab Emirates: The company has announced plans to open seven new hotels in Dubai, four hotels in the capital Abu Dhabi and one in Ras Al Khaimah by the end of 2020. (Not coincidentally, 2020 marks the first year the Middle East will host a World Expo, which has set a tight deadline for hotel development in the UAE in general and host-city Dubai in particular.)
Upon completion, the new hotels will add 4,360 rooms to Rotana’s existing inventory, taking its fast expanding portfolio in the UAE to 44 properties, including 21 in Dubai and 17 in Abu Dhabi, with a room inventory of 11,782 (6,682 in Dubai alone and 5,100 in Abu Dhabi).
The total value of the 12 upcoming properties managed by Rotana in the UAE is estimated at $1.7 billion.
“The UAE is our home market and even as we pursue our global ambitions and expand our footprint into new geographic regions, the country continues to remain the fulcrum around which Rotana’s business strategy is developed and implemented,” Omer Kaddouri, president and CEO of Rotana, said in a statement. “Next year, we will be introducing a number of five-star properties to the market, including the all-new Saadiyat Rotana Resort and villas in Abu Dhabi, scheduled to open in Q4 2017.
“Rotana already has a significant presence in the capital, and strengthening our portfolio with an additional four properties will allow us to further contribute to and capitalize on Abu Dhabi’s expanding tourism and hospitality sector,” Kaddouri continued. “While in Dubai, our seven upcoming properties will go a long way towards meeting the demand increase anticipated in the run-up to Expo 2020, and will help ramp up overall room capacity which is crucial to achieving the city’s ambitious tourism vision.”
Despite the challenging economic environment, the outlook for the hospitality sector in Dubai and Abu Dhabi remains positive. In previous UAE Real Estate 2016 mid-year market reviews, global consultancy firms listed the medium-to-long term outlook for the hospitality sector in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as positive, citing the opening of theme parks and new tourist attractions as the main factors driving demand.
Six of the upcoming properties will be five-star hotels, with the remaining properties will be a a mix of four- and three-star hotels and hotel apartments.